Closure for manholes



(No Model.)

v G. ENGEL. GLOSURE FOR MANHOLBS.

115. 540,965.' 125155155 June 11, 1895.

Wnessess* I ,f

Eis arneysz UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE.

eoDrEEY ENGEL, or soUrII BALTIMORE, MARYLAND;

CLOSURE FOR IVIANHOLES.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 540,965, dated June 11 1895.

Application led September 4, 1894. Serial No. 522,068. (No model.)

To all whom it mag/concern,.-

Be it known that I, GODFREY ENGEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Baltimore, in the county of Anne Arundel and State of Maryland, have'inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Manholes; and l do hereby declare the following to be a f ull,` clear and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to devices for closing man or hand holes in the sides of boilers or` other vessels; and my invention consists in the novel means employed for centralizing the cover of the man or hand hole over the opening, in order to secure uniform lap of the cover upon its seat, in the novel means employed for locking the .bolt by which such cover is held in place, and preventing the bolt from turning, and in the novel construction and arrangement of the parts constituting my improved closure. I

The objects of my invention are, rst, to provide a closure forman or hand holes or similar apertures in vessels, so constructed that pressure Within the vessel will tend to keep the joint between the cover and its seat tight; second,'to provide a closure in which there shall be only one joint, and to so form the parts at this jointv that leakage shall be improbable; third, to provide a closure which shall have as few parts as possible; fourth, to provide a closure in which such machining of the parts as may be necessary may be readily done; fifth, to provide means for centralizing the cover over the openingI to secure equal lap at the joint; sixth, to provide means for preventing turning of the bolt which holds the cover. in place, when its nut is screwed on or off, and, seventh, to provide a closure which shall be strong, durable, efficient in action, and as inexpensive as possible. These objects are attained in the closure herein described andill ustrated in the drawings which accompany and form a part of this application, in which the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts, and in `which Figure 1 is a plan view of the closure, showing the man or hand hole, with the cover in place therein, the cover bolt being sectioned and the yoke removed in order to show certain recesses in the cover and in the iange surrounding the opening. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line :um of Fig. ],which line is the minor axis of the elliptical man or hand hole, the yoke being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 'J y of Fig. 1, which line is the major axis of the ellipse; and Fig. et is a detail plan view of the yoke inverted. p

In the drawings, 1 is the aperture forming the man or hand hole, over which projects a Vlauge, 2, the opening 3 in which is longer in one direction than the other, and in the drawings is shown as an ellipse. The ange 2 may be a portion of the side of the vessel, if that vessel be of cast metal; but where, as in the case of most steam boilers, the vessel is cornposed of sheets of wrought material, the liange 2 may be secured to the side of the vessel by bolts or rivets. l

Nithin the aperture l, and bearing up against the inner side of the flange 2, is the cover-plated, which cover-plate is larger than, but similar in shape to the opening 3 in the flange 2, the shorter axis of the cover being shorter than the longer axis of the opening 3. This cover-plate 4 is provided with a central boss 5, which may be circular, and is of a height sufficient to hold in place a packing ring 6, if it be desired to use packing. The

cover-plate is likewise provided with a further central boss 7, which is provided with a groove 8 coinciding with one of the axes of the coverplate, and of a Width sufficient to receive projecting lugs of the yoke, to be hereinafter described.

W'ithin the cover-plate Il is a central circular chamber 9, to the bottom of which the groove 8 extends. This chamber is of a diameter considerably greater than the-width of the grooveS.

l0 is the yoke, which extends across the opening 3 in the ordinary manner, its ends resting on the flange 2. The flange 2 is provided with grooves ll, 1l, coinciding with one of the axes of the opening 3, into which fit the ends of the yoke l0, thus centralizing the yoke as to one axis of the opening 3. The yoke is likewise provided wlth shoulders 17, 17, fitting closely against the edges of the opening 3 in the ange 2, which centralize the yoke as to the other axis of the opening 3. At its center the yoke is provided with a bolt hole l2 through which passes the cover bolt 13. The head of this bolt is flattened ontwo IOO 'opposite sides, so that it may pass through the groove S into the chamber 9 in the coverplate, and the length of the head 14 is suchl that when in the chamber 9 it may be turned at right angles to the groove 8, so as to engage with the cover-plate.

The yoke 10 is provided with inwardly projecting lugs 15, 15, ou either side of the bolt hole 12, which are of a Width such that they may enter the groove 8 in the coverplate, and of a length such that they project nearly to the bottom ofthe groove 8. When in place, they are closely adjacent to the flattened sides of the head 14 of the bolt, and therefore lock this bolt in place, preventing it from turning when the nut 16 is screwed on or off. These lugs t closely within the groove 8 both at the ends and sides, and therefore centralize the cover-plate as to the yoke, and therefore as to the opening 3.

rThe method of using my improved closure is as follows:-It a packing ring G is to be used, the packing ring is first put in place over the boss 5. passed through the opening 3, which may be effected by holding it by means of its central boss, turning it somewhat from the position which it occupies when in place, and tilting it so as to pass one end through the opening first. The cover-plate is then turned into its proper position, and held up against its seat while the bolt 13 is put in place, by inserting its head into the groove 8 and pushing it down to the bottom of the groove` and then turning the head in the chamber 9 until it is at right angles to the groove S. The yoke l0 is then passed over the bolt, its ends entering the grooves 11, 1l, in the flange 2, its shoulders 17, 17, engaging the sides of the opening 3, and its lugs 15, 15, entering the groove 8, centralizing the cover, and, since these lugs tit closely against the head of the bolt, locking it in place and preventing it from turning. The nut 16 is then put upon the bolt and screwed down until the coverplate ft and packing 6 are pressed iirmly against the [lange 2, forming atight joint.

It will be seen that the only machining of surfaces required in this closure is on the cover and on the seat therefor on the iiange 2, and since the boss of the cover is circular, and does not come. close to the edge ot'the iiangc 2, the surface ot the cover maybe machined without difficulty. Vv'ith smooth castings, where packing is used, no machining will ordinarily be required. It a ground joint between the cover and ilange is desired, this joint may be ground without diliiculty after the cover is in place. It will likewise be observed thatpressure within the vessel has the eitect ot' pressing the cover 4. more iirmly against the iiange 2, thus decreasing liability to leakage.

Having thus completely described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a closure for manand hand-holes, the

The cover-plate is thenv combination, with a vessel having an aperture therein and a cover for such aperture, of a yoke bridging such aperture, recessesin the rim of such aperture adapted to receive said yoke and to centralize the same in one direction, inwardly projecting shoulders on said yoke engaging with the edge of said rim and adapted to centralize said yoke in the other direction, and a bolt passing through said yoke and adapted to hold said cover in place, substantially as described.

2. In a closure for mauand hand-holes, the combination, with a vessel having an aperture therein, and a cover forsaid aperture, of a yoke bridging such aperture, means for ccntralizing said yoke with respect to said aperture, a bolt passing through said yoke and adapted to hold said cover in place, a groove within said cover, and a projection on said yoke adapted to enter said groove and to ceutralizo said cover with respect to said yoke, substantially as described. l

3. In a closure for manand hand-holes, the combination, with a vessel having an aperture therein, and a cover for such aperture, of a yoke bridging such aperture.a bolt having a non'cylindrical portion engaging said cover, passing through said yoke, and adapted to hold said cover in place, and project-ions from said yoke engaging said nou-cylindrical portion of said belt and adapted to prevent it from turning, substantially as described.

4. In a closure formanand hand-holes, the combination, with a vessel having an aperture therein, a cover for such aperture, a yoke bridging such aperture, and a chamber within said cover, of a bolt passing through said yoke and having a head adapted to enter said chamber and engage with said cover, a groove in said cover adjacent to the head ot' said bolt when the latter is in place within said` cover, and projections on said yoke adapted to enter said groove and engage with the head ot' said bolt, substantially as described.

5. In a closure for manand hand-holes, the combination, with a vessel having an aperture therein, a cover tor said aperture, a yoke bridging said aperture, a chamber within said cover, and a groove in said cover commuuicating with said chamber, of a bolt passing through said yoke and having a head flattened in one direction and elongated in the other direction, and adapted to enter the groove and chamber in said cover, and projections on said yoke adapted to enter said groove when the head ot' said bolt is in place within said chamber, and to engage the ends and sides of said groove and the head of said bolt, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GODFREY ENGEL. Witnesses:

JANDINE LYNG, ARTHUR KRAUSE.

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